Kur seeks third term as Charlevoix County prosecutor

CHARLEVOIX - Mary Beth Kur announced today her intention to seek re-election as Charlevoix County prosecutor.

Kur will be running in the Aug. 3 Republican primary against John Jarema, her former chief assistant prosecutor who is now in private law practice in Charlevoix.

"Our goal in the prosecutor's office is to continue providing aggressive, but fair, prosecution of criminals, while staying within the budget set for us by the board of commissioners," Kur said in a news release.

Kur began her service in the county prosecutor's office in 1993. She said that during her tenure, she turned back more than $134,000 in unused funds to the county's general fund.

Kur said she has received the endorsement of five of the six Charlevoix County commissioners: Randy Frykberg, Dennis Jason, Vic Patrick, Ron Reinhardt and Valerie Snyder.

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Shirley Roloff, the sixth county commissioner, said she is not endorsing any candidate in the primaries.

Kur's office was one of only four in the state of Michigan chosen for a pilot project developed in conjunction with state attorney general Mike Cox aimed at reducing domestic violence. Grant moneys obtained have resulted in the hiring of a special assistant attorney general for Charlevoix County, Mike Findlay, who specializes in domestic violence prosecution.

Kur has recently been recognized for her work in the prosecution of domestic violence by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who has appointed her to the Michigan Domestic Violence Prevention and Treatment Board for a six-year term.

Kur is a board member of the Northern Michigan Child Abuse Council. Since 1995, Kur has also been elected by her peers to serve on the board of directors of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan.

Kur's trial work consists of both felony cases and cases in district and family courts. In her career as a trial lawyer, she has never had a conviction reversed by an appeals court.

"Over the past 11 years, I have been a successful advocate in court for crime victims, for children who have been neglected or abused, and for all the citizens of Charlevoix County," Kur said.

"I want to continue my service to the public, because we make a difference. While we cannot undo the effects of a violent crime, a conviction can give victims some peace of mind and allow them to move ahead with life. Being a part of that process is very gratifying to me."

In 2001, she handled the murder trial of a Boyne City man who was convicted of fatally stabbing a boater at the Charlevoix marina. A year later she handled the trial and conviction of man for his vicious and unprovoked assault with a shotgun on Charlevoix County Sheriff George T. Lasater.

She has successfully tried many other violent felons throughout her career, obtaining convictions for many crimes that include child sexual assault, drug trafficking, theft, safe breaking, drunk driving, rape and vehicular homicide.

Kur credits her staff for the successes her office has achieved over the past decade. "Our dedicated staff of attorneys and support personnel are topnotch. They work tirelessly day after day getting the job done for the law-abiding, taxpaying citizens of Charlevoix County."

Kur said she has taken full advantage of available grant dollars over the years. The award of these dollars has allowed an increase in the services her office offers the public with little or no cost to local government. Examples include:

- Child support unit: Grant funding together with the initiative taken by assistant prosecutor Kerry Zahner has resulted in a strengthened child support unit in the office. In the past year, Zahner has obtained hundreds of child support orders for children whose mothers would not otherwise be able to afford the legal assistance she provides. Zahner's entire unit is 66 per cent grant-funded through the federal government.

- Drug Enforcement: Federal grant dollars also fund the Straights Area Narcotics Enforcement (SANE) team and a specialized drug prosecutor that serves in seven counties including Charlevoix. Kur sits on the SANE board of directors as its vice chair.

- Victims Rights Unit: The Victim's Rights Unit of the office is also funded through a grant from the State of Michigan.

Kur holds her bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan. She received her law degree from the University of Detroit School of Law.

Kur lives in Charlevoix Township with Steve Kur, her husband of 19 years, and their two teen-age children.

She is a member of the Charlevoix Lions Club, the State Bar of Michigan, the Charlevoix Emmet Bar Association and she performs periodically with the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra as a cellist.